May PM Tiptoes Around Balfour Apology Question by AlJazeera

The incumbent Prime Minister of the UK Theresa May sidestepped a question on the government’s position as regards underway calls to apologize for the Balfour Declaration during her stopover in Jordan.

When asked by AlJazeera correspondent about whether the British government would make an apology over the notorious Balfour pledge, May failed to provide a straightforward answer, and responded by restating the government’s standpoint vis-à-vis the Arab-Israeli conflict.

In an exclusive interview with May, Head of AlJazeera’s office in Jordan, Hassan AlShoubaki referred to underway attempts to mark the Balfour centenary on November 2, wondering about whether May’s government would apologize to the Palestinians for the tragic fallouts of the declaration.

May failed to deal with the issue in a clear-cut manner, saying the government has been seeking ways to boost Israeli-Palestinian talks, push for a two-state solution, and work on the establishment of a terror-safe Israeli State besides a sovereign Palestinian State.

A campaign urging the British government to apologize for the Balfour Declaration has been launched by PRC, amid emerging reports on the government’s intent to mark the centenary of the pledge. A petition launched by PRC to that very end managed to garner nearly 10,000 signatures in just a few weeks.

The Palestinian Return Centre is an independent consultancy focusing on the historical, political and legal aspects of the Palestinian Refugees. The organization offers expert advice to various actors and agencies on the question of Palestinian Refugees within the context of the Nakba - The catastrophe following the forced displacement of Palestinians in 1948 - and serves as an information repository on other related aspects of the Palestine question and the Arab-Israeli conflict. It specializes in the research, analysis, and monitoring of issues pertaining to the dispersed Palestinians and their internationally recognized legal right to return.